No Bell
by NaillingTheSoap
Summary: Plan B (or as Mabel called it, Chickening Out) wasn't an option for Dipper. Then again, the plan was to tell Pacifica that he liked her. This is gonna be one anxiety filled ride, and Dipper's sure of it. Contains Dipifica.


Another summer day went by in the Northwest Mansion. The mansion was grand, but today it seemed like it's colors shone more vividly. The staff traded their usual unease with tiny smiles paired with slight relief. 'I won't be fired, not today' they all thought. And today, there was a different sound that echoed through the plot of land: laughter of the innocent, joyful kind. It was another summer day, but it wasn't just a usual day one.

Today, the Mansion's masters were away on their 16th honeymoon. Or was it the 17th? This left their daughter at home, free to enjoy their many luxuries alone. Had it not been for her friends the Pine Twins, anyway.

Right now they were at the backyard, meeting Pacifica's exotic pets. "Ohmygosh you have ponies!" Mabel exclaimed as she dashed to pet one. The animal seemed to enjoy her petting, for it neighed gently.

"Be gentle with them Mabel!" Pacifica reminded her from a distance. Not quite as excited seeing her pets for the hundredth time, Pacifica sat around a table instead.

She adored Mabel. Who would ever give the mean rich girl a chance at friendship for free? Mabel Pines would: the girl who taught the young Northwest to lighten up, to laugh a bit.

If only her twin brother were the same.

Across Pacifica sat a teen with a similar face, hair, and height as his more joyful counterpart. He emitted the same grim mood the mansion was missing as he stared at his book. Not read, stare. Pacifica hasn't seen him flip a page once.

Averting her gaze from the book's boring title, she spoke up. "What is it with you?" she asked as she brought the book down slightly. "You haven't so as much looked up for a second."

"It's nothing uh, Pacifica." Dipper grabbed the book and drew it closer to his face. Pacifica saw this, and felt slightly hurt. She was about to let her sharp insult hurt the boy, if not for him speaking up. "Fine. I guess I should tell you."

Dipper finally put his book down and fought every urge he had to look away from Pacifica's eyes. 'Dipper, you can do this. The worst you could do, is let this opportunity slip away. So don't do it man! Get this over with!' he mentally scolded himself. He felt a few beads of sweat on his forehead. Here goes nothing.

"There's a treasure in the mansion and I've been looking forward to finding it. To find it, I need you." His sentence was a rapid firing of syllables, stopping abruply on "I need you."

"I thought you wanted to tell me some deep dark secret or something. That's all?" she asked. His cheeks turned red. Plan B (or Chickening Out, as Mabel put it) wasn't what he had in mind when he opened his mouth.

"Let me say that again. I -"

Pacifica held her hand up. "No, I heard. You need help with some kind of treasure hidden in the Mansion?" Dipper, defeated, nodded. "Not like mom and dad count our millions anyway. Sure, I'll come. Let's just call Mabel and -" Pacifica noticed she was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is she?" Pacifica asked Dipper.

"I don't know." Dipper's phone buzzed. Mabel. "Oh, she's calling me." He answered the call while walking away from Pacifica.

"Did you tell her yet Dipper? Gimme the details, all of them brobro!" she asked loudly, causing Dipper to pull the phone away from her ear.

"No Mabel, I just told her about the treasure." Mabel booed on the other end.

"I dragged you to her house so you could tell her how in love with her you are! Look, there's no parents around to kill you and no Mabel around to embarrass you. It's the perfect chance, so take it Dipper."

Dipper didn't need anymore convincing. "Thanks Mabel. By the way, where are you?" An animal sound was heard on Mabel's end. "Tell Paz I'm making her another sweater out of her pony's fur. Peace!" Mabel hung up. Dipper went back to Pacifica to tell her about Mabel's whereabouts. The girl nodded, and led Dipper back inside the Mansion.

"So, what is the treasure?" Pacifica asked.

Dipper brought up a picture on his phone. "Well it's supposed to be a set of bells, made of something gold-like. Passed down from generations of Northwests. At least, that's how the story went."

Pacifica peered into the photo to see if they looked familiar.

"Oh, those. In the library, I think. Follow me." She walked at faster pace, forcing Dipper to match her speed.

The walk to any part of in Mansion would fascinate every visitor, even if said walk were 10 seconds. Dipper's mind was swamped with other thoughts however. It was as if in her presence, he was concious of every move he made: the way the tuft of hair moved outside his cap, the sounds his foot made as it made contact with the waxed floor, and the sudden sweat that beaded up on his palms.

He noticed Pacifica stop. "Wait, hold up. We're going to the kitchen for a sec, do you mind?" For a split second, he thought he would have gotten a chance to answer. "Never mind. This way."

In the mere moments it took her to grab a bottle of water, he used his heightened senses to feel the punch in his chest. What made his heart thump was her: the blonde hair, the purple overcoat, that scent. It started a pleasant vibe, he once wrote.

Of course, he was quick to regret penning that written confession. Liking her, to him at least, felt... wrong. His thoughts seemed to agree:

 _"She's out of your league, she'd never like you back."_

 _"Her standards aren't that low man."_

 _"She's friends with Mabel dude, it would be weird."_

He'd like to forget about her and his dumb emotions, but those were things he couldn't shake off. It clung on to his mind until the pair finally found the bells.

A fireplace stood at the center of the library, with green bricks contrasting the flame's ochre if it was lit. Decorating the mantle was nothing more than a row of bells, a tall one positioned in the midle and shorter bells decreasing in size on either side.

 _"Like a bell curve."_

Dipper thought. He turned to Pacifica as they approached the bells.

"Any clue what they're supposed to do? Do they just ring?"

She shrugged. "Beats me, I never bothered to try them out. Who knows, maybe it makes you lively like Mabel."

Dipper reached out for one of the bells, taking an interest to the tallest one. He glanced at Pacifica whom he was expecting to disapprove. She gave a look, as if to say "Couldn't care less." As he cradled the bell in his hands, he felt an engraving on its cold metal. It read:

He who rings this lets truth unfurl

"Check this out." Dipper handed Pacifica the bell. She scanned the text before handing it back.

"Sounds dangerous in the wrong hands. Good thing I'm responsible and level-headed, not to mention selfless and kind am I right?" She stated in an over the top sarcastic voice. Dipper nodded.

"Yeah, thought so. Well, there is this one thing I've wanted to know. Not enough for me to actually go find out, but still. I think about it." Dipper was intrigued by what she said. He wasn't alone thinking of something similar.

He looked up from the bell and asked her. "What would that be?" She was taken aback by that question.

"I could ask you the same thing! That's what I wanna know." She poked his chest with her index finger. "You always look like you're hiding something from me. Don't act like I don't see you staring at either nothing or another book."

"It's nothing, it's just how I am!" He swiftly responded, feeling even more self conscious.

Pacifica had enough of his denial. Something bothered him, and she had to know just what. "Fine. Maybe, I'll just find out if it's really nothing. Five seconds, and I ring the bell. 5.." she started.

Finally came the once imaginary countdown Dipper dreaded. As if on cue, his conscience came in to play.

"4..."

 _There's no way out of this. Just keep silent and she'll get it out of you. Then we're done_. _It's a win either way._ Spoke his pessimistic and shy side.

"3..."

 _You sure it's a victory? We've been silent long enough. We wussed out once, we aren't doing it again. Let's face this, just like we practiced_. Spoke a more brave and optimistic side.

"2..,"

Dipper's heart beat so quick that he thought it'd stop before he heard the next number. Suddenly he felt it: the sensation of courage he had sought. He wasted no time running towards it, tightly grasping it once he caught up.

"Woah woah." Dipper spoke at last. "Yeah, I have something to say. And if you tell me what you wanted, maybe I could do the same. No magic bell thing, just our word. Deal?"

Pacifica thought about it. It did seem like an even trade. Maybe it was math, a mystery, even a girl. She had to know what was up in that head of his.

"Alright, sure. On 3, at the same time. 1... 2..."

After exhaling a deep breath, Dipper decided to let his feelings free.

"It's you, I've always kinda liked you and.." Dipper saw the blush form on Pacifica's face. He realized that those words weren't his. But didn't he just utter them? Not unless...

She laughed. It wasn't the mocking one Dipper anticipated. It was genuine, almost reminiscent of a nervous chuckle Dipper only dreamt of letting lose. Now here she was, and now so was he, expressing relief.

* * *

 **A/N: Leave a review, tell me what you liked/disliked about the story. Thanks for reading!**


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